Rotary card filing cabinet



DeC- 2l, 1954 J. sTxNGL ETAL ROTARY CARD FILING CABINET Filed June 29,1949 Dec. 21, 1954 J. STlNGL ETAL l 2,697,647

ROTARY CARD FILING CABINET Filed June 29, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 noentor7712. 2,713. 2q

' E M Gttornegs United States Patent RTARY CARD FILING CABINET JosephStingl, Stratford, and Henry Luckas, Devon, Conn.,

assignors, by mesne assignments, to The Ferris Manufacturing Company,Stratford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application June 29,1949, Serial No. 102,003

9 Claims. (Cl. S12-267) This invention relates to a filing cabinet,particularly one for tiling record cards, and has for an object toprovide such a cabinet which has a rotary support for the card holdersso that by a simple operation any holder with its cards may be easilyand quickly brought to a position where any card is easily accessiblefor observation.

It is also an object to provide such a cabinet in which it is notnecessary to punch the cards or provide rods for holding them in thecontainers, nor it is necessary to provide belts or similar retainingmeans for keeping the cards in the holders.

Another object is to provide such a cabinet in which there is no rubbingof the cards on each other when turn ing the rotatable support, to wearoff the writing or smear it, and the cards will always be level so theymay be easily read.

Another object is to support them so that they may be easily andindividually removable, and further to provide a cabinet which will holdmore cards than other cabinets of the same size.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, we have devised theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention isnot limited to the specic details of construction and arrangement shown,but may embody various changes and modifica tions within the scope ofthe invention.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the cabinet;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the closure elements in the openposition;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a side view similar to Fig. l of the upper portion of thecabinet showing the closures in the open position;

Fig. 5 is a detail section through one side of the cabinet;

Fig. 6 is a detail section through the pivot for the card supportingtray;

Fig. 7 is a partial side elevation and partial section of one of thetrays;

Fig. 8 is an end View thereof;

Fig. 9 is a partial section and partial elevation showing the closureelements in closed position;

Fig. 10 is a transverse section thereof;

Fig. ll is a detail section through one side wall of the cabinet and aguard member showing the method of mounting the member, the sectionbeing substantially on line 11-11 of Fig. l0, and

Figs. l2 and 13 are a front and side View respectively of the means ofmounting the shaft for the rotating elements.

This improved cabinet comprises an enclosing casing or housing 1including sheet metal side members 2 and 3, and end walls 4 connectingthe side walls. The side and end walls may be connected together by anysuitable means. They are preferably provided with abutting inturnedflanges 5, as shown in Fig. 5, which may be secured together by anysuitable means, as bolts, rivets or welding. As these anges are turnedinwardly they are enclosed in the cabinet and not exposed on the outsidethereof, providing a smooth uniform outer surface. The side walls areextended a short distance over the top of the cabinet, as shown at '6,to provide a top Wall, but the inner edges of these walls are separatedto form an opening 7 to gain access to the tiles enclosed in the2,697,647 Patented Dec. 21, 1954 ICC cabinet. The top edges of the sidepanels 2 and 3 at the side of top opening 7 are bent inwardly anddownwardly, as indicated at 2a, 3a and 2b and 3b, to give a finishedappearance and to strengthen and stiften these edges of the opening.

The supporting means for the le cards comprises a pair of laterallyspaced rotary members of any suitable construction. ln the presentdevice they are sheet metal rotary discs 8 and 9 mounted and spaced aproper distance on a supporting shaft 10. The opposite ends of thisshaft are supported in suitable bearing elements on the inner sides ofthe side walls 2 and 3. These are shown more in detail in Figs. l2 and13 and comprise a pair of angle irons 11, one flange 12 of which issecured to the supporting side walls 2 and 3 by welding or othersuitable means, with their opposite anges 13 side by side. At the pointof supporting the shaft 10 anges 12 are cut away and the flanges 13 arebowed outwardly in opposite directions as shown at 14 to form a loop,one on each side 2 and 3, to receive the end of the shaft 1t) and alsoprovide a bearing for this shaft if desired, or the discs 8 and 9 couldrotate on the shaft by bearings 15.

The discs 8 and 9 are rolled over at their peripheral edges as indicatedat 16 and 17 respectively, but the front disc 8 just behind the frontside or panel 2 of the cabinet is extended laterally at 18 to provide aflange between the body of the disc 8 and the curled edge 16. The rolledover edges 16 and 17 obviate any sharp edge on the peripheries of thesediscs and also greatly stiften and strengthen the discs.

These discs form the support for the containers carrying the recordcards. Details of one of these containers, indicated as a whole by thenumeral 20, is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. They each comprise a strip ofsheet metal bent to the form shown in Fig. 7, including a bottom wall 21and upwardly and somewhat outwardly inclined spaced end walls 22, and tostrengthen these trays or containers a more or less angularly shapedstrengthening strip 23 of sheet metal is welded to the opposite edges ofthe Vend walls 22 adjacent the tops thereof. These strips also re-` tainthe cards from sliding sidewise in the trays, the cards being indicatedby the dotted lines 24. The end walls 22 are tapered upwardly at theirupper edges, as indicated at 25 in Fig. 8, to improve the appearance ofvthe trays and also to make the cards carried thereby more accessiblefrom the side. In each end of the trays are means for supporting abearing for each end of the tray in the rotatable discs 8 and 9, thesebearings being located near the top of the end walls so that no matterin what yposition they may be as the discs S and 9 are rotated they arealways in the horizontal or upright position. This bearing means, asindicated in Figs. 7 and 8, comprises a bushing 26, preferably of brassor similar material, mounted in an opening in a recessed portion 27 inthe end wall, so that the bushing lies horizontally, its opposite endsbeing rolled over to secure it in the opening in the end wall 22. Thecompleted bearing is indicated in detail in Fig. 6, there being a sleeve28 extending through the bushing 26 and embracing the bolt 29, whichpasses through an opening in either the disc 8 or `9, and is heldtherein by a nut 30 on the outer end of the bolt with washers 31 onopposite sides of the disc 8 or 9. One of these washers and the head ofthis bolt rest against the opposite ends of the sleeve 28, so that bytightening the nut 3) the bolt is rigidly clamped to the disc 8 or 9.However, the sleeve 28 is longer than the bushing 26 which has a bearingon this sleeve, so vthat it is free to turn on the sleeve and also hascert-ain lateral play on the sleeve to prevent binding. It will be clearthat as these bearings are adjacent the top edges of the endl walls 22of the trays, the weight of the trays or any cards which may be placedin them will always hold the tray in the upright position and it willturn on these bearings as the discs 8 and 9 are rotated. These trays arearranged so that they extend transversely of the cabinet and the recordcards 24 are placed in them so that they extend transversely of thetrays in an upright position, so that anyone wishing 4to examine themmay easily do so from a position at the front of `the cabinet, or thatis, beside the front side wall 2. Also Vin this 3 arrangement no rods orother means are required to retain the cards in the trays, and nopunching of the cards is therefore necessary. The cards are kept fromsliding sideways in the tray by the connecting strips 23.

The shaft and therefore the discs 8 and 9 are so located in the cabinetthat a portion of the upper edges of the discs 8 and 9 are exposed abovethe top wall 6 of the cabinet and also the upper container is alsoexposed and accessible through this opening, as indicated by Figs. 1, 2and 4, but to prevent the user becoming injured by getting lingerscaught in the rotatable means, a guard 32 is provided immediately underthe flange 18 of the front disc 8 at the top of this disc, where it isexposed above the top edge of the front wall 2. This is an arc-shapedguard forming a segment of a circle including the flat body portion 33and a curved ange 34. This is located as shown in Figs. 3 and 10 withthe at portion 33 substantially in the plane of the outer edge of theturned-over edge 16 of the disc and with the ange 34 located just withinthe flange 18. cured to the front wall or panel 2 by a pair of anglebrackets 35 secured to the flanges 13 of the angle members 11, and itextends sufficiently below the top edge of the front panel 2 to form aneffective guard. On the ange 18 of disc 8 may be mounted certainelements, as for example, curved plastic bars 36 forming handles bymeans of which the rotatable elements including the discs 8 and 9 andthe trays 20 may be rotated to bring the different trays into theopening 7 for examination of any of the cards desired. The trays 20 areso located and spaced on the discs 8 and 9 that they can each turnindependently of those next to it and they will not interfere with eachother and each will always maintain its upright position.

Closures are also provided for the opening 7. These include arc-shapedor segmental members 37 and 38 located so that when in the openposition, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, they are located at opposite endsof opening 7. Each has a curved top wall 47 forming the arc of a circleand located just outside of the rims of the rotatable elements 8 and 9,and they also include segment-shaped side walls 40 filling the spacebetween the curved wall and the top wall 6 of the cabinet when theseclosures are in the closed position, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 9 and 10.They also have outward extending anges 41 at their lower edges which mayengage the edge of opening 7 to limit outward movement of the closureand also form abutments when they are closed. They are each mounted onpivoted arms 41 one on each side of the closure secured to the sidewalls thereof at 42 and pivoted at their inner edges as at 43 on anglebrackets 44 secured to the angle strips 11, as shown in Figs. 1, 9 and10. On the inner edge of one of these closures, as for example closure38, is welded a strip 45 which overhangs the edge of the closure andwhen in the closed position overlaps the free edge of the other closure37, as shown in Fig. 9. Handles 46 may be provided on each closure foruse in swinging them to and from the open and closed position. The wholedevice may be mounted on suitable supports, as, for example, suitablecasters 48, to facilitate moving the device to different locations.

It will be clear from the above that the device is of very simpleconstruction, the rotatable assembly is a very simple one, and it isbalanced by the cards and trays mounted in it so that it turns easilyand automatically retains it n any position to which it may be turned.No rods and no punching of the cards is necessary to retain them in thetrays of baskets, nor are there any belts or exterior elements requiredfor the purpose. There is no rubbing of the cards together during therotating operation to either wear off the writing on the cards or tosmear the ink if moist. The cards always stay level so that any card inthe top tray or basket is always easily read and each card is easily andquickly removable. The device will also hold a larger number of cardsthan with the usual form of cabinet of the same size, and cabinets ofthe same height and width can be made to hold a much larger number ofcards by simply building it thicker so as to accommodate longer trays orbaskets. There are no bolts exposed outside of the cabinet to catch onthe operators clothes or other elements and the outer walls are smoothand clear of any such projection.

Having thus set forth the nature of invention, we claim:

1. A tiling device for cards comprising an enclosing cabinet includingside and end walls and a `top wall provided with an opening, said sideand end walls pro- It is sevided with inwardly extending anges aboutsaid opening, a pair of laterally spaced upright rotary supports mountedin the cabinet, a series of trays adapted for carrying a plurality ofcards in an upright position extending transversely of the trays, meansmounting said trays on the supports between them arranged about theperipheries of the supports, rneans mounting the supports in the cabinetwith the upper part of their peripheral edges projecting through saidopening and to carry said trays into the opening for easy access by theoperator, and curved closure means pivotally mounted in the cabinetcomprising a pair of inverted substantially U-shaped sheet metalsegmental members including spaced opposite side walls and a connectingtop wall between them mounted to swing from opposite ends of the openingto and from a position over the rotatable supports and close and exposesaid opening, said segmental members being provided with outwardlyextending flanges at the lower edges of their side and top walls locatedunder said anges about the opening when said members are in closedposition.

2. A filing device for cards comprising a cabinet including spaced frontand rear walls, and end and top walls connecting them, said top wallbeing provided with an opening, a pair of laterally spaced upright frontand rear rotary supports mounted in the cabinet with their top edgeslocated in said opening and extending above the top wall, said frontsupport being provided with a forwardly extending peripheral flange,hand grips on this ange for rotating the supports, an upright guardextending upwardly from the top wall in front of said latter support andprovided with a curved top edge located within and under said ange, aseries of card holding trays extending transversely between thesupports, and said trays being of a width to hold a series of cards inan upright position extending transversely of the trays.

3. A tiling device for cards comprising an enclosing cabinet includingside and end walls and a top wall provided with an opening, said sideand end walls provided with inwardly extending anges about said opening,a pair of laterally spaced upright rotary supports mounted in thecabinet, a series of trays mounted on and between the supports adaptedfor carrying a plurality of cards in an upright position extendingtransversely of the trays, means mounting the supports in the cabinetwith the upper part of their peripheral edges projecting through saidopening and to carry said trays into the opening for easy access by theoperator, a pair of curved closures for the opening in the top wallsmovable toward and from each other over the rotatable supports to closeand open said opening, each closure being of inverted substantiallyU-shape including spaced side walls and a connecting top wall betweenthem provided with outwardly extending flanges at their lower edgeslocated under said flanges about the opening when said closures are inclosed position, a supporting means secured to each closure adjacenteach end, and pivot means for each means secured in the cabinet.

4. A ling device for cards comprising a cabinet including spaced frontand rear walls connected by end and top walls, said top wall having anopening, a pair of laterally spaced upright rotary supports mounted inthe cabinet with their upper edges extending through said opening, aseries of card holding trays mounted between the supports, the supportnearest the front wall being provided with an outwardly extendingperipheral flange having hand grips for turning the supports, and acurved guard mounted on the inner side of the front wall between thenearest support and the front wall, said guard including an upright wallsubstantially closing the space between the forward support and thefront wall and a curved ange at its outer edge extending under andoverlapping a portion of the peripheral flange of the support.

5. A tiling device for cards comprising an enclosing cabinet includingside and end walls and a top wall provided with an opening, a pair oflaterally spaced upright rotary supports mounted in the cabinet, aseries of trays adapted for carrying a plurality of cards in an uprightposition extending transversely of the trays, means pivotally mountingsaid trays on the supports between them arranged about the peripheriesof the supports and on pivots located above the centers of gravity ofthe trays, said trays having their end walls extending upwardly andpressed outwardly adjacent their upper edges to form bosses including anupright outer wall with an opening through it, a bushing mounted in theopening, a bolt extending through the bushing and an opening in theadjacent rotary support, washers on the bolt on opposite sides of thesupport, a sleeve on the bolt extending between the adjacent washer andthe head of the bolt and longer than the bushing, and a nut on the boltclamping the head and latter washer against opposite ends of the sleeveand clamping the bolt sleeve and washers on the support.

6. A tiling device for cards comprising a cabinet including spaced sideand end walls and a top wall provided with an opening, a pair oflaterally spaced upright rotary supports in the cabinet, a series ofcard holding trays mounted between the supports, said trays eachcomprising a substantially U-shaped flat strip forming the bottom wallof the tray and spaced upwardly extending end walls, separatereinforcing strips connecting and secured to the end walls at theiropposite side edges spaced above the bottom wall to strengthen the trayand engage the edges of the cards to retain the cards in the tray, andpivot means adjacent the upper edge of each end wall for pivotallyconnecting the trays to the rotary supports.

7. A tiling cabinet for cards comprising an enclosing cabinet includingside and end Walls and a top wall provided with an opening, a pair oflaterally spaced upright rotary supports mounted in the cabinet, aseries of trays for carrying a plurality of cards in an upright positionmounted on and extending between the supports adjacent theirperipheries, means mounting the supports in the cabinet with the upperpart of their peripheral edges projecting through said opening and tocarry the trays into the opening comprising a transverse shaftprojecting at its opposite ends beyond the outer sides of the supports,and means for supporting each end of the shaft comprising a pair ofangle members arranged with one llange of each secured to the adjacentside wall of the cabinet and their opposite ilanges side by side, thefirst flanges being cut away at an intermediate point and the secondanges at this point being bowed outwardly in opposite directions forminga loop in which the end of the shaft is inserted and supported.

8. A tiling device for cards comprising an enclosed cabinet includingside and end walls and a top wall provided with an opening, a pair oflaterally spaced front and rear upright sheet metal disks independentlymounted in the cabinet, means in the cabinet mounting the disks forrotary movement in an upright position with their top edges in saidopening and projected above the top wall, the peripheral edges of eachdisk being rolled over to round and strengthen lthe edges of said disks,the front disk being provided with a horizontal peripheral angeextending between and connecting the body of the disk and the turnedover edges, and a series of card supports extending between andsupported on the disks so located that the cards in these supports areaccessible in the opening in the top of the cabinet as the disks arerotated.

9'. A ling device for cards comprising a cabinet including spaced frontand rear walls, end walls extending between the front and rear walls anda top wall provided with an opening, a pair of laterally spaced frontand rear upright disks independently mounted in the cabinet, a shaft inthe cabinet mounting the disks for rotary movement in an uprightposition with their top edges in said opening and projecting above thetop wall, the peripheral edges of the disk being rolled over to form arolled beaded edge, the disk near the front wall being provided with alongitudinal ange extending between and connecting the rolled over edgeand the body of the disk, hand grip means on said flange for rotatingthe disks, a series of card holding trays mounted between the disksadjacent their peripheries, and means mounting said shaft to expose theupper edges of the disks and trays successively in the top opening ofthe cabinet.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,227,704 Ulrich May 29, 1917 1,552,290 Fowler Sept. 1, 19251,842,531 Mariotti Ian. 26, 1932 1,974,272 Heineman Sept. 18, 19342,075,051 Parr Mar. 30, 1937 2,510,924 Bruen June 6, 1950 2,517,678Knittel Aug. 8, 1950 2,530,566 Clark et al. Nov. 2l, 1950 2,575,745Carlson Nov. 20, 1955

